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Obama speaks with French president on spy claims

President Obama called French counterpart Francois Hollande on Monday in the wake of allegations that the National Security Agency has spied on French officials. The two leaders "discussed recent disclosures

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President Obama called French counterpart Francois Hollande on Monday in the wake of allegations that the National Security Agency has conducted intelligence gathering in France.

The two leaders "discussed recent disclosures in the press -- some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed," said a White House statement on the phone call.

A French newspaper said the NSA gathered more than 70 million French phone records during a recent 30-day period.

The White House statement added that Obama "made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share."

French officials have denounced reports of NSA activities in their country.

The full White House readout:

"The President spoke today with President Hollande of France. The United States and France are allies and friends, and share a close working relationship on a wide range of issues, including security and intelligence.

"The President and President Hollande discussed recent disclosures in the press -- some of which have distorted our activities and some of which raise legitimate questions for our friends and allies about how these capabilities are employed.

"The President made clear that the United States has begun to review the way that we gather intelligence, so that we properly balance the legitimate security concerns of our citizens and allies with the privacy concerns that all people share.

"The two Presidents agreed that we should continue to discuss these issues in diplomatic channels moving forward. The two leaders also discussed the ongoing violence in Syria and the importance of a political solution to the crisis."